Writing on the wall: innocuous or ominous? Depends how you read it.
Writing on the wall is an idiom that describes a situation fortelling the bad news to come. In other words the bad news is already known when you see the writing on the wall.
Nooses tied around their necks during a protest demanding farm loan waivers in New Delhi, India. Getty images
Local municipality tightens the noose around my neck: idiom origin
A noose around the neck is an expression that means you are out of options. As the noose, a tightening rope knot moves closer to the throat, the subject is close to death, the deathknot, if you like.
‘Répondez s’il vous plaît’: French influence on English
Most people who use RSVP today don’t speak French, many not realising it’s French at all allowing it to blend into the language. The letters have effectively become a universal shorthand for, ‘Let us know if you’re coming.’
Promethean: Firing changes that shift reality: origin of words
What I love about the English language is its collaborative flair. It borrows from Germanic and many other linguistic arrangements, some of which add to the richness of my mother…
I was just six years old: The die was cast: idiom origin and usage
Today, we use the idiom for any moment of irreversible action. You resign from a stable job to start your own business. You press “send” on an email that might change everything. You sign the contract, make the announcement, book the one-way ticket, say "I do". The die is cast.
****Madlanga Commission is the idiomatic cat among the pigeons***
A discussion of the idiom cat among the pigeons
How a productivity slump led to a boost in vocabulary
With the year winding down and the productivity cycle beginning to slow, I feel myself slipping into brainrot (fixation on mindless digital content). But hey, at least I’m up on…
How a random search led me to International Mole Day
A discussion on International Mole Day and how words are used to explain everything.
Where have all the newspapers gone?
Looking at the pic, you see yourself (okay, I speak for myself – baby boomers) deliriously swamped by magazines and print media and happy as a pig in sh-t. This…
